Study of the helminth fauna of Serrapinnus notomelas (Characiformes, Characidae) from the Batalha River, Southeast Brazil

• Grant number: 24/18445-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Fishery Resources and Fishery Engineering - Inland Water Fishery Resources
• Principal Investigator: Aline Cristina Zago
• Grantee: Júlia Melo Chiarinelli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil stands out for its rich hydrographic diversity, comprising rivers, streams, lakes, artificial dams and flooded areas. The Batalha River is located in the Paraná hydrographic region, in the interior of the State of São Paulo, and, despite being classified as a river, it has a long stretch of small dimensions (narrowing and shallow depth). This fact is decisive for the composition of the ichthyofauna along its course, which is predominantly composed of small species, such as Serrapinnus notomelas (Characiformes, Characidae). Knowledge of the parasitic diversity of small fish species that inhabit small bodies of water is still incipient, and there are no studies addressing the knowledge of the parasitic fauna of fish species of the genus Serrapinnus. Thus, the present study aims to characterize the helminth fauna of S. notomelas from the Batalha River, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Thirty specimens of S. notomelas from the Batalha River, in the municipality of Bauru-SP, will be analyzed. In the laboratory, the fish will be necropsied and examined under a stereomicroscope for the presence of possible helminth parasites. The parasitological attributes will be determined for each species of parasite detected, such as: prevalence, mean abundance and mean intensity of infection/infestation.